Filipino-Canadian Duo MANILA GREY Is on a Mission to Expand Their Culture

HYPEBEAST sits down with the R&B duo to discuss musicality and identity. HYPEBEAST Features - Go in-depth and learn more about the culture. [HYPEBEAST]( [Features]( November 23, 2019 [Filipino-Canadian Duo MANILA GREY Is on a Mission to Expand Their Culture]( HYPEBEAST sits down with the R&B duo to discuss musicality and identity. HEISON HO | HYPEBEAST Filipino-Canadian group MANILA GREY is here to help bridge the East and West. The R&B duo is comprised of childhood friends Neeko and Soliven, who grew up in Vancouver at a time when there were few Asian personalities to serve as influences. Now, the two want to reshape the outlook of the next generation of of Asian-Canadians. “It’s always been about creating the best music we can for everyone, but growing up barely having any Asian-American or Asian-Canadian influences to look up and relate to is also a big driving force on why we do this,” Neeko explains. “Y’all should see all the hard-working people behind the scenes, too,” Soliven adds. “We didn’t even realize how many Asian artists, graphic designers, art directors, stylists, managers, video directors, curators, etc. who are so essential in driving the business and creative process of the music industry. That makes us so happy.” The two conceived of MANILA GREY in the summer following their sophomore year in high school. The musical group was born from their interest in connecting through storytelling, and fostered by their creative peers and general love for art. “I’ve always been in love with the process of making movies, animation, and graphic novel,” Sol says. “I’ve always wanted to create something from my imagination that people can get lost in.” Creating original material became their avenue to connect their experiences with others and explore their own creativity. “Everybody goes through sh*t. Sometimes all you need is to feel like someone understands you,” Neeko adds. HEISON HO | HYPEBEAST Recognizing their desire to create, they began to seriously pursue music. Sol always knew that he wanted a career in the arts, and a desire to improve his craft fueled him to keep at it even while he held down other jobs. “Writing has always been something I took seriously, and it wasn’t even music yet, I was just creating my own mangas and stories to express myself. Then I started writing my own lyrics and experimenting on different programs, chopping up different rap acapellas to different beats,” he recalls. “As I learned more about the creative process, it was natural that I started to look into the business and how all this works, that’s when I knew this would be my career one day.” As I learned more about the creative process, it was natural that I started to look into the business and how all this works, that’s when I knew this would be my career one day Meanwhile, Neeko was filling his own hunger for the performing arts, watching films like You Got Served, Love Don’t Cost a Thing and Stomp The Yard, “The idea of performing or acting has always been instilled in me as if I were seeing myself in their shoes. Starting out it felt like I was chasing a dream, you know?” he says. “To have music as my career and sh*t, but the more I learned through the years I realized it’s just like any other career. You just gotta invest time into it.” And that’s exactly what Neeko and Sol did — as they began uploading tracks on SoundCloud and Bandcamp and joining the 1z Collective, the two transformed their little sophomore year summer project into the well-oiled machine we know today as MANILA GREY. Working with their in-house producer azel north, the group has launched the [applauded]( No Saints Under Palm Shade EP and have garnered over 16 million streams on Spotify and more than 10 million views on YouTube with hits like "[Timezones,]( "[Youth Water]( and most recently, "[Silver Skies]( With countless hours spent songwriting, recording and printing and cutting 150 mixtape covers (“And no one even bought that sh*t!”) at 3:00 a.m., Neeko and Sol clawed their way to the top to gain their place in modern music’s booming industry. They say that it’s moments like those that really tests if you’re cut out for this life or not, and as it turns out, they really are. As the two prepare for the release of their forthcoming album Loading, HYPEBEAST sat down with MANILA GREY during their “Silver Skies Tour” stop in Hong Kong to discuss their musicality, the influence of their Filipino-Canadian upbringing and the storm they’re looking to brew up in 2020. [READ THE FULL INTERVIEW ON HYPEBEAST →]( [banner]( [banner](   [More HYPEBEAST Features]( [[8 Drops You Don't Want to Miss This Week] [FASHION]( [8 Drops You Don't Want to Miss This Week]( [[Gucci Redefines Classic Timepiece Design With New Grip Watch] Presented by Gucci [Gucci Redefines Classic Timepiece Design With New Grip Watch]( [Get The App Free on iOS and Android]( Follow --------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 HYPEBEAST Limited. All Rights Reserved [Manage Subscriptions]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to HYPEBEAST's marketing emails. You can unsubscribe from us any time by clicking [here](. 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